Undergarment



y 30, 1935; L. LEVENSO N Ei- AL 2,009,990

UNDERGABIENT Filed Dec. 29, 19153 Iva /enters:

.Zaub'w Zeuemsom and x if,

Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Louis Levenson, Flushing, N. Y., and Samuel L. Berger, Newton Center, Mass.

Application December 29, 1933, Serial No. 704,532

- 8 Claims.

. The present invention relates generally to improvements in undergarments. While some phases of the present invention may be appli-.

cable to a variety of types of undergarments, the present invention is more particularly concerned .with infants and children's-undergarments.

The present invention involves an improvement in the construction and functional relationship of the upper parts of the garment. This invention may, therefore, be embodied in all types of infants and children's undergarments such as baby bands, babies shirts single breasted as -'well as double breasted, children's union suits, childrens sleeping garments of all types such as pajamas or night gowns or sleepers, and the invention is applicable to children's undergarments of the type above described, designed for summer wear as well as garments of these types designed for winter wear. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a line of infants and childrens undergarments which will require no fastening of any kind and which may be readily slipped on the body of the infant or child in the customary manner, whether over the legs and upwards, as is recommended by child psychologists, or in any other way desired. 1

While as has been stated-immediately above, the present invention relates to structural features in the upper portion of the garment, it also functionally cooperateswith the nether garment where such nether garment is attached to the upper garment. In the case of infants bands, for example, which are designed for the attachment of diapers to the lower part of the garment, the structure of the upper portion of the band is such as to impart to the garment a lengthwise resilience or longitudinal stretch without permanently deforming the shape and 40 size of the garment. with this type of infants band, therefore, the infants diaper may be attached as closely to the body as desired and the longitudinal stretch imparted to the garment by the present invention serves to prevent any discomfort to the infant in the crotch.

Similarly, when'the presentinvention is embodied in a union type of garment such as 'a union undersuit or union pajamas, the structure of. the upper part of the garment in accordance with the present invention which imparts to the garment a longitudinalresillency, prevents any discomfort to the child in the crotch.

The particular usefulness of the present inwill be appreciated when it is realized that with vention as applied tothe union type of garment growing children-mothers are constantly faced with the problem of supplying such children with comfortable and still well-fitting undergarments. With the type of garment embodied in the present invention, the child may be supplied with a gar- 5 ment of a size which will fit the child comfortably at the time the purchase is made. As the child grows in the course of the use of the garment, the longitudinal elasticity of the garment will prevent any possible discomfort to the child. 10

The present invention also has particular usefulness when applied to the type of union under garment disclosed inPatent No. 1,916,133 by the present applicants. The longitudinal elasticity of the neck and shoulder parts of the garment embodying the present inventionywhen applied to this type of garment relieves the attachment of the ends of the elastic webbing at the top of the drop seat of considerable strain, and there-, by minimizes the problems involved in this attachment. The various phases of the invention may be more readily understood by persons skilled in the art by referring to the drawing accompanying the present application, it being underst0od,'h0wever. that such drawing illustrates the preferred embodiments of the present invention and that the essential principles of the present invention may be embodied in a variety of forms falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 illustrates ent invention.

Figure 2 is a double breasted shirt embodying the present invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the garment shown in Figure 2 along the lines 34. Figure 4 is a front view of a unionunder garment of the drop seat type and embodying the present invention. 40 The present invention is particularly applicable. to undergarments which are made of knitted material and is more specifically applicable to under-. garments in which the knitted material is of a a shirt embodying the prestype which is substantially inextensible in one 4 direction and relatively extensible in the trans-- verse direction. Such garments are generally made of such material which is inextensible:

garment as shown. The sleeves I! of the garment are cut as shown in the drawing so as to provide shoulder portions it which extend in part downwardly both on the front and on the back of the garment;

The sleeves are sewed to the main body portion of the shirt along the lines it to the front of the garment and along the lines l 5 to the back of the garment. The sleeves it are also made of tubular knitted material and in order to prevent these sleeves from stretching lengthwise, they are cut so that the wales of the knitted material run lengthwise of the sleeves.

The parts of the garment thus far described are so cut, designed, and assembled that the neck opening of the garment is bordered by lines which run transversely to the wales of the material in the front, back, and shoulder portions of the garment. This arrangement of the parts thus far described lends the neck opening of the garment an extensibility great enough to permit this neck opening to be stretched to approximately twice its size and/or, to a dimension greater than the transverse dimension of the main body portion of the garment.

In order to provide the neck opening with a nicely finished binding or edging and further in order to cause this neck opening to return to its original shape and size after each stretching cperation when the garment is put on or taken off, and to prevent the deformation which would otherwise be caused by repeated washings, the neck opening is finished with a webbing it of elastic material. While any suitable elastic webbing may be employed, the webbing preferred for this purpose is preferably made of elastic fibre covered yarn and consists of a woven fabric, which employs the fibre covered semi-vulcanized squirted rubber yarn for the weft of the fabric and any other yarn, preferably silk or a silk substitute for the warp.

It will now be understood that by reason of the fact that the material immediately adjacent the neck opening is extensible or stretchable along the line of the neck opening, and further by reason of of the garment and/or to a width greater than the width of the garment without deforming the garment in any manner and the entire, garment may be readily put'on or taken off the child or infant in the best approved manner, namely, over its legs, without distorting the normal size and shape of the garment.

Figure 2 shows a double breasted infants shirt.

' The structure and design of this garment will bewardly both on the front and on the back of the garment. The sleeves are-stitched to the back i 9 of the garment along the lines If: and are stitched to the corresponding i'ront portions alongthe lines 14. Like the front and back portions of the garment l1, l8, and i9, the sleeves l2 are made of tubular knitted material and in order to prevent these sleeves from stretching lengthwise, they are cut so that the wales of the knitted material run lengthwise of the sleeves. The shoulder portions it, therefore, as in Figure 1, present lines, bordering on the neck opening, which run transversely to the wales of the material. Similarly the lines of the front and back portions ii, i 8, and i9, bordering on the neck opening run transversely of the wales of the material, and the neck opening, therefore, has a great enough extensibility to permit it to be stretched to adimension at least as great as the transverse dimension of the garment, thereby facilitating putting on and taking off the'garment and permitting these operations to be performed over the childs legs.

As in the garment shown in Fig. 1, a webbing 20 of the same type as that employed in the garment shown in Fig. 1 and described in connection therewith is applied to the exposed edges of the several parts of the garment as shown. This webbing serves to maintain the original shape and size of the neck opening.

Fig. 4 shows the application of the same invention to a different type of garment. More particularly, the type of garment shown in this figure is generally of the drop seat type and embodies substantially all the features of construction of the garment shown in Fig. 4 of Patent #1,916,133, except that the garment shown in Fig. 4 of the present application is designed for winter wear and is therefore provided with sleeves 2 I ,which may be short or long as desired. As in Fig. 1, the sleeves M are out lengthwise of the wales of the knitted material and are provided with the integral shoulder portions 22 which ex tend downward from the shoulder both in the front and in the back of the garment. As in the garments shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the back 23 of this garment is so cut that it forms a line bordering on the neck opening which is a substantial portion of the neck opening, this line being-transverse to the wales of the knitted material. The same obviously is vtrue of the front 24 of this garment. As in the garment shown in Fig. l, the neck opening is finished with a web 25 of elastic -material of the same type as that employed in the garment shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen, therefore, that this garment can be put on and taken off over the legs of the wearer. When the present invention is applied to a union garment as shown in Fig. 4, the structure embodying the present invention, although disposed in the upper part of the garment, nevertheless cooperates with the lower part of the garment in that it imparts to the union suit a longitudinal resiliency which prevents any discomfort to the child in the crotch. This'garment, therefore, may be said'to adapt itself to the growing child substantially throughout the life of the garment.

This function and manner of cooperation of the upper part of the garment with its lower part is obviously useful in all types of union suits, whether they are provided with resilient buttonless drop seat or of any other type. In addition to the function already described, namely the function of the garment which permits the neck opening to be stretched to such an extent as to facilitate putting on and taking ofl the garment over the legs, and in addition also to the function of the garment which lends the entire garment a longitudinal resiliency and adjustability or adaptability to the growing child without causing any discomfort, the present invention also has a particular usefulness in the type of union garment which is provided with a resilient and buttonless drop seat. In such garments the elastic band or web across the top of the drop seat is attached at its ends to the sides of the garment. In operation this attachment is subjected to repeated pulls, strains, and stresses. with the present invention embodied in this type of garment, the pull, strain, and stress upon this attachment is considerably relieved by the resiliency of the shoulder portion of the garment and of its neck opening. Moreover, reinforcement along the sides of the garment which transmits the pull of the resilient drop seat to the shoulder of the garment cooperates both with the present invention which provides a resilient shoulder and resilient neck opening and with the elastic web,

to relieve the attachment of the ends of the web to the sides of the garment of a considerable portion of the pull and strain.

It will now be understood that the present invention is applicable to a large variety of childrens undergarments and may be said to be applicable to an entire line of childrens undergarments. These undergarments are generally made of knitted material which is of a type which is non-extensible in one direction and substantially extensible and stretchable in the transverse direction. Evenin this transverse direction, however, this material is not elastic nor resilient for the reason that when subjected to repeated stretchings, it will become deformed and will not resume its original size or shape. In the garments embodying the present invention, therefore, the portions of the garment which are disposed adjacent to the neck opening are so designed and cut that they are stretchable or extenslble along the lines of the neck opening and these portions of the garment cooperate with the elastic or resilient webbing which constitutes the edging of the neck opening so as to impart to the neck opening elasticity and resiliency in add.- tion to stretchability or extensibility.

We claim:

1. An undergarment having a closed neck opening and comprising front, back, and shoulder'portions of knitted material, the wales of said portions being disposed substantially perpendicularly to said neck opening, the neck'opening being divided into four approximately equal quadrants, with the shoulder, front and back portions disposed against the corresponding quadrants. and a webbing of highly elastic material attached to said portions, whereby said neck opening may be repeatedly stretched to substantially the width of the garment, the webbing cooperating with the knitted material to prevent permanent distortion.

2. An undergarment having a body and sleeves, the garment having a normal sized closed neck opening normally insuflicient to permit the passage of the body of the wearer therethrough,

the garment having substantially its entire upper' chest and back portions bordering on the neck opening made of knit material having their wales disposed substantially perpendicularly to the neck opening and forming an extensible area permitting the neck opening to be stretched to the width of the garment, and an elastic webbing having rubber strands disposed circumferentially of the neck opening and attached to said portions and forming a binding therefor, whereby the neck I opening may be stretched to the width of the garment.

3. A union undergarment having'a bifurcated nether part and an upper part having a body and sleeves, the bifurcated nether part being permanently connected to the upper part, the garment having a normal sized closed neck opening and normally insuflicient' to permit the passage of the body of the wearer therethrough, the garment having substantially its entire upper chest and back portions bordering on the neck opening made of knit material having their wales disposed substantially perpendicularly to the neck opening and forming an extensible area permitting the neck opening to be stretched to they width of the garment, and an elastic webbing attached to said portions and forming a binding therefor, whereby the neck opening may be stretched to the width of the garment.

4. An undergarment having a body, sleeves, and shoulders, and having a normal sized closed neck opening normally insufllcient to permit the passage of the body of the wearer therethrough, substantially the entire upper chest, back and shoulder portions of said body being made of knitted material having its wales disposed substantially perpendicularly to the neck opening and an elastic binding for said neck opening whereby the 'neck opening may be stretched to the width of the garment and the garment may be donned over the legs of the wearer, said elastic binding comprising rubber strands disposed circumferentially of the neck opening.

5. A union undergarment having a bifurcated nether part and an upper part having a body, sleeves, and shoulders, the bifurcated nether part being permanently. connected to the upper part,

the garment having a normal sized closed neck opening normally insufficient to permit the possage of the body of the wearer therethrough, substantially the entire upper chest, back, and shoulder portions of said body being made of knitted material having its wales disposed substantially perpendicularly to the neck opening whereby the neck opening may be stretched to the width of the garment and the garment may be donned over the legs of the wearer.

6. A union undergarment having a bifurcated --tic binding for said neck opening whereby'the neck opening may be stretched to the width of the garment and the garment may be donned over the legs of the wearer.

'7. An undergarment having a closed neck opening normally insuflicient to permit the passage of the body of the wearer therethrough,

said garment'comprising front, back, and shoul-' der portions of knitted material, the walesof said portions being disposed substantially perpendicularly to said neck opening and each of said portions bordering on a substantial part of said neck open ng, and a webbing of highly elastic material having rubber strands disposed circumferentially of the-neck opening and attached to said portions, whereby said neck opening may be repeatedly stretched to substantially the width of the garment, the webbing cooperating with the knitted material to prevent permanent distortion. 8. A union undergarment having a bifurcated nether part and an upper part, the bifurcated nether part being permanently connected to the upper part, said upper part having a closed neck opening normally insuflicient to permit the pas-' sage of the body of the wearer therethrough and aooaooo comprising front, back, and shoulder portions of neck opening my be repeatedly stretched to knitted material, the wales of said portions being disposed substantially perpendicularly to said neck opening and each of said portions bordering on a substantial part of said neck opening and a webbing of highly elastic material having rubber strands disposed oircumferentially of the neck opening attached to said portions, whereby said substantially the width of the garment to permit the passage of the body of the wearer therethrough, the webbing cooperating with the knitted material to prevent permanent distortion.

LOUIS LEVENSON. slim L. BERGER. 

